FishWorks (Marylebone)

went here with a group of friends. We ordered a few main dishes and a platter (never recommend this platter). Food was not that bad but overall things are too overpriced.
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Bunny - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Friday, December 09, 2011

The worst fish restaurant I am ever been to.
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Friday, August 20, 2010

A group of us went to Fishworks in Marylebone last week. OK, it's a fish restaurant but I have to say the fishy scent was rather overpowering when we entered the place. Service was ok and the fish was good, if rather boringly presented. In a place like this the supporting stuff, such as the chips, have to be really good, not just ok. However, my real beef concerns the washrooms. In this day and age there's no excuse for any central London restaurant to make their customers put up with tatty and, frankly, unclean toilet facilities. Not good. Nice enough atmosphere, lots of what appear to be locals enjoying themselves, but those washrooms really need sorting out.
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D Blake
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, June 21, 2010

A friend and I had lunch today at the Marylebone Fishworks today and left feeling very disatisfied. We ordered a main course each Halibut £18.50 and mixed grilled fish £20. Both courses did not have any vegetables or side dishes included in this price. Both portions were very meagre and one of the pieces of fish included in the mixed grill tasted off. The food tasted fine but would have wanted more. The overall total for two main courses, one coffee and one glass of wine came to £55. We left feeling hungry, unsatisfied, and angry at the cost of our meagre lunch. The restaurant was virtually empty which in hindsight was hardly surprising. We feel totally ripped off!
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, January 05, 2010

VERY POOR. I have just returned. I ordered and paid for some fresh fish (to be prepared while my daughter ate her tea) to take out before sitting down with my very 3 yr old patient daughter for a kids meal in the restaurant. We ordered. Fish Order delivered was wrong. Chips were incinerated. When we finished and left to collect our prepaid fish order 40 mins later (for a meal for my wife and I this evening) we were told this had not been prepared (crab not dressed, fish not trimmed, deheaded etc.). Worse, while I waited with my daughter for the fish I had paid for and ordered 3/4 hour before to be prepared the staff deliberately ignored us and served 6 other customers (took over 20 minutes) who had neither ordered nor paid. My 3 year old daughter was forced to wait (post 7pm) while we were deliberately ignored by all staff, the manager, chef, fishmongers and waiters. So much for bothering to order and pay for the fish in advance and clearly, they couldn't be bothered to have it ready even 40 mins later.

I was then told that the restaurant would not supply brown prawns (those little shrimps, necessary for a recipe in a book which I had bought the week before from Fishworks because these were only available in the restaurant - despite being in their own recipe book. At this point, having said nothing, I complained to the manager about all of the above. (in the hope that maybe they would sell, or perhaps even give me the 3 Oz. of shrimps I needed for the recipe from the book written by the founder of fishworks they sell). Nope. I was told that while they were sorry for the above they could not sell me the prawns as they did not sell them in the shop they were only sold in the restaurant. They could not sell them to me in the shop as they did not have a retail price for them. I suggested that in light of the burnt food, wrong order and being ignored and for 30 minutes while they served others who had not paid (but we had over an hour ago), that perhaps the least they could have done was to exercise some discretion and supply me with some prawns. They told me they could not.
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Barry Vitou
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, September 12, 2009

Something Smells Fishy

I dropped in to the Marylebone High street branch of Fishworks on the evening of the 7th July. I used to regularly enjoy the food at the Bath branch a few years back and was pleased to see that, this branch at least, was still open.

I ordered a double starter of Squid and crab cakes (about £13-14 for this) followed by Skate with mash and salad (all sides are extra, in this case £2.95 and £2.5 – with the £14.50 skate a £20 main)

The starters were ok if unremarkable. The squid was a bit soggy and the crab-meat had been heavily mashed and lacked texture.

The main course was very poor. The skate arrived very late (I saw a waiter selecting the wing from the counter 10 minutes after my starter was finished) and tiny. Clearly a small piece had been hacked off the main wing. I complained and the waiter admitted that they mad a mistake and eventually halved the price of the dish. Even then the execution of the food was poor. The mash was tepid, the skate more than slightly overdone and the salad was drowned in an oil slick of dressing. Overall I got the feeling that they had given up caring.

When challenged the waiter was defensive rather than conciliatory, he accused me of being angry and suggested, rather perversely, that as I had just walked in without a booking I should be thankful. When I pointed out that Fishworks should probably do better or more outlets would close he answered smugly that they were doing well – Well if they are selling half portions made by out of work builders on minimum wage (as it seems they are) I am not surprised but it is not a sustainable strategy! A conversation with another customer as we queued up to pay (seriously – they couldn’t get the machine working) suggested that this is a strategy not a one off. He waited ages for mackerel the size of a sprat.

Overall too many issues to be a one off – Avoid. If you want good fish try Sheekeys or Scotts – much better quality and service and now certainly better value.
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Jason
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, July 08, 2009